Rituals of Self Design: A talk by Christoph Zellweger

Artist list

Christoph Zellweger

In his talk, 'Rituals of Self Design', Christoph Zellweger will show artworks, photographs and hybrid objects of strong materiality, that pose questions on norm, pressure to conform, freedom of choice, aging and the voyeuristic public gaze. In his latest show, Zellweger articulates an analogy by merging the visual languages of the domestic with the clinical: He talks about the relation between home improvement and body improvement (the optimisation of one’s own body) which is also home of the self, and critically states: 'In the quest for an optimised body the body has become a luxury item, a malleable design matter, which can be sculpted, sucked, lifted and invested into. But do we know what we are up for?' 

After working for many years as a goldsmith and jewellery designer for industry, Christoph Zellweger studied at the Royal College of Art in London, where he received an MA in 1993 with distinction. He continued to exhibit internationally and beside running his studio, he engaged in teaching and metoring students all over Europe and in the US. Since 2003 he is a Professor of Art and Design at Sheffield Hallam University in England. Currently he is heading the MA in Jewellery Design at the Royal Academy of fine Arts Antwerp.